


What Matters Most

by sonlali



Series: Matters of the Heart [1]
Category: Schitt's Creek
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Anxiety, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fix-it fic, M/M, Panic Attacks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-04
Updated: 2019-08-04
Packaged: 2020-07-30 19:47:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,978
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20102644
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sonlali/pseuds/sonlali
Summary: Rose Apothecary was robbed. Everyone has to work through their feelings in the aftermath.Set during S5:E2 Love Letters





	What Matters Most

**Author's Note:**

> I thought Patrick was unnecessarily harsh with David and Stevie following the robbery in Love Letters. This is the result of me working through my feelings about the episode. 
> 
> CW: There is a description of a panic attack and of anxious and self-loathing thoughts. There is also a brief mention of the possibility of if the robber had a gun.

“Well, I guess I should probably get back to the motel,” Stevie awkwardly clears her throat and slings her bag across her chest as she makes her way towards the door.

Patrick jerks his head stiffly and returns his attention to the inventory list he is cross-checking against the merchandise on the floor. Stevie glances at David who is fussing with the cuffs of his sweater and determinedly avoiding eye contact. Stevie lingers until David meets her eye. He gives a small nod and turns away. She shoots another look at Patrick’s stony face intently focusing on the list in his hands. 

“So, I guess I’ll, uh, see you guys later. Uh, sorry again for… all of this.” 

She looks back toward David who is still fidgeting in the same spot he has been standing since the police officer left before she hastily exits the store. 

\--

David stands rooted to the spot for several long seconds straightening bottles that are already facing forward. Patrick is still studiously ignoring him in favor of the inventory list, so finally David hesitantly takes a few steps toward the back of the store in the direction of the staff bathroom. He can feel his knees shaking slightly from nerves. 

“I’m just gonna… uh. I’m just,” David trails off when Patrick continues to not look up or acknowledge that he’s listening except to sigh heavily. David moves swiftly and silently to the bathroom. 

Firmly shutting the bathroom door and turning the lock, David finally releases the breath he had been holding, which comes out in a broken sob. The tears he has been holding in since the robber left the store are coming in floods, and he has to shove his forearm into his mouth to stifle the sound. 

David slides to the floor hugging his knees to his chest and tries to control his breathing.

_ So stupid, you’re so fucking stupid. Why do you have to be such a fuck-up, David? _

His brain whirs with his self-admonishments. A constant refrain in self-loathing. 

_ You’ve really fucked it up this time. Patrick is so disappointed. You’ve let him down like you let everyone down. _

His breathing exercises aren’t working and his breaths are coming in heaving gasps now.

_ You can’t even run your own store, David. No wonder your parents bought all your customers for all those years. You can’t handle it on your own. _

His vision starts to darken around the edges and there’s a ringing in his ears. Panic attack.

It’s been a while since he’s had a panic attack this severe. Immediately, his brain is flooded with memories of sitting in Ted’s vet office and feeling so humiliated. Sitting on an exam table meant for animals, while Ted made puns and joked that he normally offered a dog biscuit to anxious patients, was truly a low moment. 

“What’s the matter with you?” Erika’s voice rings in his head.

David hasn’t thought of Erika in years. They dated briefly while he was living in New York. He had completely forgotten this memory until this moment. One night about two weeks after they started dating—sleeping together, if he’s being honest—David had been in the middle of what he now recognizes as a panic attack. 

“What’s the matter with you? God, David. You’re such a mess.” Her words echo in David’s brain now as he sits on the bathroom floor trying to catch his breath.

What _ is _ the matter with him? He hadn’t known what to say then, and he still doesn’t know now. About a month later, Erika had ran up a $900 bar tab one night and left with another man. David never heard from her again. 

David’s face feels hot with embarrassment and he tries to redirect his focus to his breathing exercises. 

_ Inhale, 2, 3, 4. Exhale, 2, 3, 4, Inhale, failure, disappointment, mess. _

David shakes his head harshly in frustration. 

_ God, you can’t even control your own breathing! What is the matter with you, David? What is Patrick doing with someone like you? Patrick knows how to remain calm under pressure. Patrick wouldn’t have let the store be robbed. Patrick is smart and competent and deserves better than a sobbing mess on the floor_.

He hiccups out another breath and focuses on a chip in the tile. They need to get the bathroom retiled. This tile is really ugly and gross. Perhaps they could ask Ronnie to help.

_ Good, good, David. Focus on the tile. Deep breaths. Focus on the ugly chipped tiles_.

Slowly his breath starts to regulate and the ringing in his ears subsides. There’s a knock at the bathroom door and David’s heart leaps to his throat again.

“David?” It’s Patrick’s voice. There’s still an edge to it, but he sounds concerned. “You’ve been in there a while.” 

“Uhh, yep. Yeah. I’m uh. I’m cleaning the bathroom. It’s really dirty in here, and I couldn’t stand to look at it any longer, so I’m just cleaning it. Like I said. Just… cleaning the bathroom.”

It sounds lame, even to his own ears. He can never lie to Patrick.

There’s a pause from the other side of the door. “Alright…”

Thankfully, at that moment the bell rings signaling a customer. He hears Patrick heave a sigh before saying, “Welcome to Rose Apothecary!”

David lets out a sigh of relief as he hears Patrick’s footsteps moving away from the bathroom door. He rises to his feet and stares at his blotchy reflection in the mirror. He doesn’t want to face Patrick right now. Not after disappointing him so thoroughly. How mad was Patrick? Would he want to break up with David? Would he even want to remain business partners?

_ You’re catastrophizing, David. _ He shakes his head of these thoughts.

He thinks of the disappointed look in Patrick’s eyes. The way he didn’t seem to even want to look at David after the officer left the store.

_ Great stuff, you guys_. Patrick’s disgusted voice rings in his ears.

How much money did they lose from the robbery? Mom and Dad can’t pay for products or customers anymore. What if this seriously impacts the store? David has no idea how much money they lost from the merchandise he gave away. Patrick handles all the money.

_ No wonder Patrick was so mad. I’m so careless. I just gave away a bunch of merchandise, and I have no idea how much money we lost. Patrick is left to pick up all the pieces. He has to figure out what was lost and how to earn back that revenue. What if the store goes under now? It would be all my fault. _

_ Patrick invested money into this business. He was the one to get all the grant money. He’s kept this business afloat, and if I fucked it all up, I lost his salary too! God, I’m such an idiot. I wouldn’t blame Patrick if he wanted to leave me. Get out while he still can. _

David tears himself away from his own bloodshot eyes reflected in the mirror. He has to get out before Patrick comes to question what he’s still doing in here again. He hesitantly opens the bathroom door and scurries to the staff workroom with his head down so Patrick won’t notice his splotchy tear-stained face. 

Once in the workroom, David hurriedly applies some eucalyptus under-eye cream to make it less obvious that he’s been crying. He belatedly realizes that he has not paid for this cream. 

_ Fuck! Now I’m stealing even more product! What is the matter with me? _

David tidies up the workroom for as long as he can before conceding that he will eventually need to go back out to the floor and face Patrick. Taking a deep breath, David steps out from behind the curtain and heads straight for the first customer he sees. 

Thankfully the store keeps busy the rest of the afternoon, so David is able to keep his mind fairly distracted. Patrick remains behind the counter at the cash register. David can’t help but notice that the warm gaze he normally feels is missing. 

They perform their normal closing tasks in silence finishing up much quicker than usual without their usual breaks for kissing and teasing. 

_ More efficient use of time_. David’s brain helpfully chimes in. _ See, I’m not a complete fuck-up. I gave away hundreds of dollars of product, but I sure can sweep quickly_.

He has to stifle a laugh turned sob and turns quickly to put the fugly red broom away. 

With everything done, he hears Patrick clear his throat, “David—” 

David cuts him off with the words he has been rehearsing for the past hour. 

“I need to go to the motel to meet my family for dinner, so I need to head out now.” He practically chokes out the words in his rush to get them out.

“Okayyy,” Patrick drags out the word looking skeptical. 

David can feel a flush rising to his cheeks. Patrick obviously isn’t buying his excuse. He knew David didn’t have plans to eat with his family. They had made plans for dinner together just this morning. 

Desperate to get away from the store and memories of the robber and Patrick’s disappointed face, David rushes to explain.

“I mean, my mom texted me,” and like a technological miracle, his phone buzzes in his hand that moment. “See, she’s freaking out about… about Alia and she wants me to hurry home.”

“Alia,” Patrick says flatly, the question coming out more as a statement.

“Her wig!” David can hear his voice rising in pitch as his nerves increase. “One of her wigs, Alia, she, I mean, it. It… there’s something wrong with it. Alia, I mean. And she needs me to come to the motel to help. Now. So, I’m gonna…” 

He trails off and takes a step toward the door. Patrick remains silent, with a look of great exasperation on his face. 

“Okay, David. Sure.” 

David shifts his weight and tries to disguise how his hand is trembling slightly. He always gets so shaky when he’s this anxious. When Patrick continues to stare at him unblinkingly, David opens the door and gives an awkward wave. 

“I’ll see you tomorrow?” The words sound like a question, and David mentally kicks himself. This is _ his _ store, and he’s been tiptoeing around like he’s about to be fired or something. He loves this store. He loves Patrick. He can’t give up this easily. He fucked up today, but that doesn’t mean it’s all over. Right?

Clearing his throat, David speaks again trying to convey more confidence than he currently feels. “I’ll see you tomorrow. Good night.” He gives a single nod and exits as quickly as possible without running. Running isn’t a good look for him. 

David hurries back to the motel, and glances down at his phone to see who actually had texted him. It obviously had not been his mother. And Alia was fine the last time he saw her. It. Whatever. He shakes his head again and reads the text from Stevie. 

God bless Stevie Budd. David swore sometimes that Stevie and he had a psychic link. She had a knack for always texting him right at the moment he needed her.

[5:16 p.m.] **Stevie**: u ok?  
patrick still mad? 

[5:22 p.m.] **David**: idk he still looks pissed. we didnt speka the rest of the day  
I got out of there as soon as i could  
speak*

[5:22 p.m.]: **Stevie**: shit

[5:23 p.m.] **David:** I’m coming to the motel. meet you @ the office

[5:23 p.m.] **Stevie:** no come to my apt  
ur dad sent me home early bc of The Incident

[5:24 p.m.] **David:** wtf? Why does he know about it?

[5:24 p.m.] **Stevie: **how long have u lived in this fucking town? everyone knew within a half hour  
ur dad was super akward. he told me to “take care of yourself, kid” and tried to give me a hug that turned into a high five at the last second

[5:25 p.m.] **David:** ughhhhh fuck ok i’m on my way to your apartment

[5:25 p.m.] **Stevie: **bring wine?

[5:25 p.m.] **David: **obviously. pizza?

[5:25 p.m.] **Stevie: **obviously.   
already ordered. get ur ass over here rose

[5:26 p.m.] **David:** *middle finger emoji*

[5:26 p.m.] **Stevie: ***face throwing a kiss emoji*

\--

Fifteen minutes later, Stevie is opening the door to invite David in. He looks agitated and is juggling two bottles of wine and his typical black bag. She waves David inside wordlessly, and he gives a jerky nod in greeting before thrusting the wine into her arms. David shuts the door behind him as Stevie moves to the kitchen to set down the bottles. Stevie turns from the kitchen counter to find that David is still standing stiffly in the entryway. He finally raises his eyes to hers and for a moment the two just stare at each other. 

Simultaneously breaking eye contact, Stevie turns back to the wine and pours them each a glass as David bends to carefully unlace his shoes to remove them. She absently notes that the wine came from the grocery store, rather than the Apothecary. 

“Really sprang for the good stuff, huh?”

David doesn’t look up from his shoes. “Yes, well, what with Patrick not even looking at me all day, I wasn’t about to ask him to ring up a couple bottles of wine. And I think I’ve stolen enough from the store today. So.” 

Stevie carefully notes how David’s voice is steadily rising in pitch. “You didn’t steal anything,” she says evenly.

“Didn’t I?”

Sensing the note of hysteria, Stevie fidgets with the sleeve of her flannel and clears her throat. 

“He really didn’t look at you all day? Or talk at all?”

David continues staring at his shoes even though he had long since removed them from his feet. 

“Well, I wasn’t exactly looking at him either. It’s just. He… I…” David stops and starts several sentences and focuses intently on lining his shoes next to where Stevie had haphazardly kicked hers off. Stevie stares as he shifts her shoes infinitesimally to the right and then rearranges the laces in his left shoe. Just as he’s reaching to adjust Stevie’s shoes again, she finally loses her patience.

“David!”

He finally raises his eyes and she sees the tears threatening to fall. Sighing heavily, she holds out a glass of wine and gestures to the sofa. “C’mon. Let’s drink.”

Stevie sits cross-legged with her back leaning on the arm of the sofa and takes a careful sip of the cheap wine, stifling a gag. She’s really gotten spoiled by the Rose Apothecary wine over the past several months. David and Patrick have to make up if only so she has access to her favorite red again. 

Turning her thoughts away from the wine, Stevie glances at David, who has downed most of his glass already. 

“Okay, David. Spill it.”

He smooths a hand down his sweater, picks at imaginary lint on a throw pillow, and drains the remainder of his glass before finally looking at her.

“I really fucked up this time. He’s really mad. He… it’s just. Normally I can feel him looking at me. I mean, while we’re working, I can tell, y’know…”

“Yes, yes, he can never take his eyes off you. Continue, please,” Stevie interrupts rolling her eyes and refilling his glass. 

“Okay, yes, but he didn’t look at me all day today. I could tell. And he kept sighing and he had that face he has when his troupe is losing their match.”

Stevie chooses not to comment on his choice of words and takes another sip of wine, knowing that if she stays silent, David will keep talking. 

“I mean, you saw how angry he was! And worse than that, he looked so disappointed. He already handles all the money and permits and tax stuff, and I can barely bother to show up to work before 11! And then I go and give away half our merchandise to a _ lucky customer_!”

David is gesturing wildly and a splash of wine shoots out of his glass and onto her couch. Stevie reaches out without hesitation and mops up the spilled wine with her sleeve. It’ll stain but the couch already bears several souvenirs from David’s frenzied gesticulating. There’s a few more _ fun _ stains on this sofa as well. Her mind drifts to one particularly memorable afternoon with Jake last weekend. Shaking her head, Stevie shifts her attention back to David who doesn’t look to have taken a breath in the past five minutes.

“David. David! Stop, stop. Breathe with me, okay? Look at me, yeah? In, out, in, out. Come on, you can do this. In, out.”

David’s breath slowly evens out and now he looks completely deflated, slumped on the sofa with his sleeves pulled over his hands and clutching a pillow. Stevie opens her mouth to speak when a knock sounds at the door.

“That must be the pizza.”

After retrieving the pizza, Stevie rejoins David on the sofa and is relieved when he launches himself towards the box. At least he still has an appetite. They eat without speaking for several moments before Stevie finally decides to break the silence. 

“You didn’t fuck up. Or at least not you alone. We were both there, so it’s on both of us. And it obviously wasn’t _ half _ the merchandise. Patrick needs to get his head out of his ass and calm down. He’s not going to break up with you or break the partnership over something like this. You know that right? He’s pissed, but he loves you. Patrick loves you.”

David is staring blankly at a spot on the floor. She’s about to ask if he’s even heard her when he finally starts speaking again, his voice barely above a whisper.

“I just feel like everything I do in life I fuck up. All I do is let people down, and I can’t do anything right. My parents were secretly buying my patronage and the art for my gallery, everyone I’ve ever dated has left me, I’m constantly disappointing Patrick. I mean, fuck, it was only last week that I let Alexis convince me that a fucking decades-old magazine quiz knew my relationship better than I did.” 

He flings a pizza crust in the direction of the box on the table and misses the table entirely. “I dragged Patrick out to a goddamn ropes course! In the middle of the afternoon! Shutting down the store and losing even more money. I would never be able to run the store without him, and even with him I still manage to lose money. I’m sure he regrets going into business with me. He’s just too kind to say anything.”

“David! You know that isn’t true.”

“Do I?!” David’s eyes are wide and his cheeks flushed as he practically shouts the words at her. 

“Patrick stayed in an unhappy relationship for 15 years because he didn’t want to hurt Rachel or their families. Who’s to say he wouldn’t stick around with me because he’s just too nice to end things? He’s got too much money tied up in the store at this point. It would be too messy for him to break things off, so he’s probably just swallowing his feelings. He’s done it before. Everyone knows he deserves better, but he settles because he’s so fucking nice.”

“Dammit, David. You can’t possibly believe that! You _ know _ how much he loves you!” 

Tears are spilling down his cheeks now, and David shakes his head. “This isn’t a one-time thing, Stevie. You know he contributes more to the store than I do. He handles all the business stuff and goes to all the boring tax seminars. And he gives more in our relationship too. I’m just selfish and greedy. I make poor choices and don’t take care of the store. I upsold a robber and embarrassed Patrick in front of that cop. You saw the way he was looking at us after the cop left. He looked so disappointed. I disappoint him.”

Stevie sets her glass down on the coffee table and leans forward to make sure David’s looking at her. “Fine! We fucked up. He was mad. I admit I was a little surprised at how mad he was too, but he’ll get over it, right? You’re upset, so you’re building it up to be worse than it really is. You aren’t the only one that fucks up sometimes, David. Patrick isn’t perfect either.”

David doesn’t say anything. He just pulls his feet up onto the sofa and hugs his knees to his chest. Stevie studies his profile and squints suspiciously. 

“There’s something you aren’t telling me. I can tell. Why are you so upset, David? It isn’t just about disappointing Patrick.” 

David bites at his lower lip and twists one of his rings. When he finally speaks, his voice is so faint, Stevie has to lean in to hear.

“I’m scared, Stevie.”

“Scared? Of what?”

“Rose Apothecary has always felt like a safe space to me. Today that changed. I was scared. I thought he had a gun. I’ve been in dangerous situations and around guns before. Obviously. But that was before. Since moving here, I haven’t been in situations like that. And especially at the store, I felt safe and happy and proud. And I don’t feel any of those things anymore.”

Stevie lets out a sigh and shuts her eyes. She hadn’t even considered that David was frightened. She’s guessing Patrick hadn’t either. Stevie had been shook up, but after the guy left the store, she no longer felt concerned. The dots are connecting now, and she opens her eyes to look at David again.

“And instead of making you feel safe, Patrick made you feel ashamed?” 

There’s a barely imperceptible nod and then David unexpectedly launches himself up off the sofa, startling Stevie. 

“I’m uh… I’m going to take a shower if that’s okay.”

Without waiting for a response, he retrieves his bag and shuts himself in the bathroom. Stevie sighs and swears under her breath. “Goddammit, Brewer.”

\--

Patrick hasn’t been able to convince himself to leave the store. David left nearly 40 minutes ago, and Patrick is still wandering around the store, consulting his inventory list yet again. He’s already counted every item in the store at least three times and long ago was able to determine which items are missing from the inventory. He knows which items were lost in the robbery and their exact value. It didn’t even amount to that much money, a few hundred dollars. 

Patrick runs his palms over his face, rubbing at his eyes roughly. Perhaps he had been a bit harsh with David, but he had just been so irritated. Patrick sighs heavily and glances over to the Café to watch the Rose family enter and greet Twyla. The Rose family sans David. 

Patrick frowns and glances down the street in the direction of the motel. No sight of David anywhere. He has never known David to skip a meal. Patrick had known that David was lying about needing to rush to the motel to attend to Elvia or Aaliyah or whatever the wig’s name is. But he had assumed David would still be eating at the Café with his family. _ Where was he? _

He feels a prickle of worry and paces the floor. He had been so frustrated with David that he did his best to ignore him for the rest of the day. But Patrick has been attuned to David and his moods for months now, and he couldn’t miss that David had been agitated all day, skittish and unusually quiet. He had clearly been very upset by the robbery and Patrick’s reaction. 

Patrick suddenly becomes aware of himself tapping an insistent beat on the countertop with the pen he had been using to check the inventory. The beat has been quickening in rhythm as Patrick grows increasingly more agitated replaying the events of the day. 

He forces himself to still his anxious movements and peers around the store. Why had he snapped at David so harshly? 

_ David was irresponsible_, the voice in Patrick’s head intones, but Patrick shakes off the thought quickly. He’s realizing now that he had probably reacted more severely than the occasion had called for.

Something catches Patrick’s eye suddenly. The security cameras! They have security cameras! How had Patrick forgotten those? He rushes to the staff workroom to review the footage. They have never had the need to review the footage before, so Patrick had forgotten them entirely. 

Patrick halts in his tracks abruptly thinking of other things the cameras may have caught after hours when he and David were _ connecting _ privately. His eyes widen at the thought, but he quickly shakes that off for the moment and queues up this morning’s footage on the small TV screen they have set up specifically for this purpose.

He watches intently as he spots the robber entering the store and heading directly for David standing at the register. Patrick’s breath catches. The man has his hand concealed in the front of his hoodie and a mask covering his face. David looks alarmed and Patrick shares his fear as he watches the moment unfold. The camera doesn’t capture sound, but he can see David protesting as the robber gestures to the cash register. 

Patrick catches himself holding his breath as he watches David and Stevie run around the store filling bags for the robber. They both look frightened and confused. It’s obvious they aren’t sure what to do but are desperate to get the man out of the store as quickly as possible. Patrick feels a pang in his chest seeing how frantic David and Stevie both appear. 

On the screen, Stevie holds the door open for the robber who runs from the store. Patrick rolls his eyes at the unnecessary politeness of the gesture, but finds his attention drawn to David’s face pinched with worry. David and Stevie look at each other and let out a simultaneous breath of relief once the door is safely closed again. 

Patrick lets out a breath of his own and unpeels his fingers from the tabletop he had been unconsciously white-knuckling while watching the footage. _ Shit_. He covers his face with his hands again and groans. He had been such an asshole. Although Patrick is not sure he would have reacted the same as David and Stevie, it had obviously been a stressful situation requiring quick action. They had done their best, and Patrick had been unfairly critical.

He removes his hands from his face and glances back at the screen, realizing the footage is still rolling. Some time has passed and now Patrick and the police officer are on the screen. David and Stevie are sitting in chairs and looking sheepishly at the officer. It’s surreal watching his own actions from the morning and seeing his own undisguised frustration with the pair. 

The officer exits the store and the Patrick on the screen is throwing his hands up in the air in irritation before stalking off. _ Great stuff, you guys. _ His own words echo in his mind.

As his on-screen self moves outside of the camera’s range, Patrick is able to see David and Stevie exchange anxious looks. Stevie looks extremely uncomfortable and eager to get out of the store. He sees her hesitate at the door and try to catch David’s eye, but David only gives a curt nod and turns away. David looks anxious, chagrined, and—to Patrick’s horror—a bit tearful as he scurries to the bathroom at the back of the store. 

Patrick stares at the screen blankly, no longer really watching. He feels the guilt begin to well up in his chest as he thinks of the expression on David’s face. He feels frustration begin to rise up again like bile. But this time Patrick is frustrated with himself. He should have had a mature conversation with David about his irritation and David’s anxiety from the situation. They could have talked it out and by now he could be cuddling with his boyfriend instead of grinding his teeth at the store for hours. 

Wait. How long _ has _he been here? How long ago did David leave? And where is he? Patrick shoots out of his chair so abruptly it topples over backwards, but he pays it no mind as he races out of the workroom and back to the front window to peer out at the Café. He catches sight of a bubblegum pink wig. Moira is still at the Café. He quickly spots Johnny and Alexis too. The Roses are still dining, but David is nowhere to be found. Patrick reaches into his pocket for his phone to see just how much time has passed since David left, but his phone isn’t there. He hurries back to the staff workroom where he must have left it.

Disregarding the fallen chair, Patrick scans the table for his phone, but his attention is quickly drawn to the screen. He had forgotten to pause and the screen is now showing David exiting from the bathroom. Patrick is horrified to see David’s tear-stained face. He had been so consumed with his own thoughts after the robbery that he hadn’t even noticed when David left the bathroom and headed to the staff workroom. He certainly hadn’t noticed that David had been crying. Unable to watch any more of the camera’s footage, Patrick finally shuts off the TV and scrambles to grab his phone to call David. He listens to the phone ring, but he already knows David isn’t going to answer. 

He hangs up and swears under his breath. Suddenly his phone vibrates with a text. 

[7:12 p.m.] **David: **u fucked up

Patrick stares at the message and blinks rapidly. He wasn’t expecting David to reach out at all, and the message is very blunt. His mind races until something clicks into place.

[7:14 p.m.] **Patrick: **Stevie?

The response is immediate.

[7:14 p.m.] **David: **obviously 

[7:14 p.m.] **Patrick: **David’s with you?

[7:14 p.m.] **David: **obviously 

Patrick lets out an aggravated growl in the back of his throat. He really doesn’t want to deal with Stevie’s glib responses right now.

[7:14 p.m.] **Patrick:** Can you please just hand the phone back to David and ask him to answer my call? I need to speak with him.   
Now, please. 

[7:15 p.m.] **David: **he’s in the shower  
I dont thikn he really wants to talk to u rn anyway 

[7:15 p.m.] **Patrick: **Look, I know I fucked up, and I should have been more patient with both of you today. I’m sorry for losing my temper.  
I watched the security footage and saw everything. I can see how frightening it must have been for both of you.

[7:15 p.m.] **David: **security footage????  
u fucker  
u let us sit there and act like idiots in front of that cop knowong we could just show him the footage?????

[7:16 p.m.] **Patrick: **Stevie, please let me talk to David. I only just remembered the cameras. I’m sorry I made you feel like an idiot.   
Please just let me talk to David.

[7:16 p.m.] **David: **i told u hes in the shower

Patrick grinds his teeth together trying to maintain patience with Stevie. Before he can compose another text to her, his phone buzzes in his hand.

[7:17 p.m.] **David: **give him space tonight. u can talk to him tomorrow. hes staying here w me  
he needs u to be his boyfriend, not his business partner. dont start on him abiut the lost inventory again ok?

Patrick starts typing, but his phone buzzes again before he gets a chance to send a reply.

[7:17 p.m.] **David: **shutting off his phone now so dont bother txting or calling.   
and patrick, dont be a dick. hes gotten himself all worked up thinking hes ruined everyhting and the store is going to go bankrupt and u will never forgive him

[7:18 p.m.] **Patrick: **OK, Stevie. Thanks. 

The message fails to send. She’s already shut off his phone. 

“Dammit!” Patrick tosses his phone onto the table and runs his hands over his short hair. He doesn’t want to wait to talk to David. He wants to see him now. He wants to apologize and take him in his arms. He can’t stand the idea of David being so upset because of him. He has to fix this. Now.

Mind made up, Patrick reaches for his keys and heads for the door to lock up and go to his car. He’s in the car and nearly to Stevie’s place before he realizes what he’s doing. Stevie said to give David space, and he’s immediately doing the opposite. 

Patrick pulls over to the side of the road and puts the car in park. He groans and leans his head on the steering wheel. He needs to respect David’s space and take some time to compose his own thoughts. He can’t believe David has gotten it in his head that the store is going to go bankrupt and that Patrick will never forgive him. Well. Actually, catastrophizing sounds exactly like something David would do. But how could he possibly think that Patrick would never forgive him? He could never hold onto any anger with David. At this point, his brain is hardwired to only adore David no matter what. Always. 

God, he really misses David after spending most of the day not talking to him or touching him. He needs to be with him. Needs to see his face and hold him close. Patrick reaches for the ignition to start the car again. No. Stevie said to give David space, and he should do that. But, then again, he really wants to hold David and kiss David and tell David how much he loves him. 

Outside he spots the Schitts on an evening walk. They’re holding hands, and Patrick desperately wishes he was holding David’s hand right now. He sighs heavily and smacks his head down on the steering wheel again.

The horn blares and Patrick jolts up in his seat letting out a yelp. Roland laughs openly and Patrick shuts his eyes, wishing he could start this day over.

\--

Stevie waits several minutes before powering David’s phone back on. She had wanted to make sure Patrick got the hint to stop texting and calling. Now she is going through and deleting all of their texts, so David doesn’t know that she has talked to Patrick. David still doesn’t even know that she can get in his locked phone. She saved her thumbprint in his iPhone months ago. They had been drinking, and she snatched his unlocked phone from him and added her thumbprint. Drunk David didn’t even question what she was doing. 

She doesn’t really do much in his phone, but Stevie likes knowing that she has the _ option _ to if the occasion arises. It’s been a while since she’d executed a prank. Once this whole thing has blown over, she would take David’s phone and prank Patrick. It would only be appropriate. Stevie nods to herself decisively and tops off her wine glass. 

Stevie glances at the bathroom door. David should be in stage 4 of his skincare routine by now, so he would be coming out soon. She gets up to get an extra blanket for the bed, since David is always cold. 

“Damn, I am _ such _ a good friend,” Stevie says to herself as she drops David’s phone on the couch and makes up the bed for him.

\--

By the time Stevie arrives at the motel to open the office, Patrick has already been waiting outside the door for several minutes. He holds out a bottle of her favorite wine as she approaches the door. 

“Stevie, I’m really sorry for how I behaved yesterday.”

Stevie cuts him off abruptly. “I know, you idiot.” She grabs the wine from him and looks at it appraisingly while unlocking the door. 

Stevie opens the door and moves to the front desk, Patrick trailing behind her sheepishly.

“I was wrong—” Patrick begins, but Stevie cuts him off again with a wave of her hand.

“Patrick, I don’t need to hear your apologies. David is the one you need to talk to.”

“You deserve an apology too, Stevie. Also, I’m assuming David is still asleep, since it’s only 8:30.”

Stevie smirks at him. “Obviously.” She reaches into her pocket and holds out her apartment keys. “Go get him. And lock up when you leave, okay?”

Patrick opens his mouth to say his thanks, but Stevie rolls her eyes. “Save your thank you and bring me more wine later. Now, go!”

Patrick grins broadly and runs to his car. 

\--

Patrick unlocks Stevie’s apartment and pushes the door open softly so as to not wake David. David is decidedly not a morning person, and Patrick doesn’t think that startling David awake will win him any points in his favor.

As Patrick locks the door behind himself, he turns and lets out a gasp as he sees David exiting the bathroom, fully dressed and ready for the day. David stops in his tracks and stares at Patrick, his face unreadable.

Patrick takes a step forward. “Stevie gave me her keys. I came to talk to you.” He holds out a coffee for David as a peace offering. 

David says nothing but accepts the coffee and immediately takes a sip. Patrick notes how tired David looks. He aches to reach out for his boyfriend. He wants to hold David and run his fingers through his beautiful hair until he falls asleep. But David still looks guarded and cautious. 

Patrick takes another step closer. “David, I am so sorry. I overreacted yesterday and was way out of line. You didn’t do anything wrong. And the store is fine! We barely lost any money. It doesn’t matter even if we had._ You _ are what matters.”

At this, Patrick points emphatically at David. “_You _ are what matters most to me. You mean everything to me, and I’m so sorry I made you think I cared more about the money. David, I—”

Patrick voices breaks and he has to clear his throat as he looks desperately into David’s eyes. 

“I remembered that we have security cameras at the store…” 

“I know.” David’s voice is so soft Patrick barely hears him. 

“You know?! You knew that we have cameras?” David nods and Patrick looks at him incredulously. “You knew and you didn’t mention it while the police officer was there?”

David’s eyes flash and he takes several steps backwards, away from Patrick.

“Okay, I don’t need this attitude from you.” His brows are furrowed and his hands sweep through the air sharply. “I remembered after the officer left, and I couldn’t exactly bring it up to you, since—if you remember correctly—you wouldn’t even _ look _ at me, much less _ speak _ to me!”

His voice is rapidly rising in pitch, and Patrick is internally kicking himself for sticking his foot in his mouth yet again.

“Shit, David, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that. I’m sorry. Please, can we sit down and talk?”

Patrick hates the guarded expression in David’s eyes. David has set down the coffee cup and crossed his arms over his chest, closing himself off further. 

“Please, David.”

David gives a single nod of his head and sits delicately on the edge of the trunk at the foot of Stevie’s bed. Patrick sits hesitantly at the other end of the trunk, taking care to give David space.

“David, I’m sorry. I hated the idea of the store—_our _store—being violated in that way. It made me so angry to think about someone in our space, stealing from us, and me being powerless to stop it from happening.”

“You think I don’t feel the same way?!” David cuts him off sharply. “You think it wasn’t violating to me too? The store is supposed to be a safe place, and… and…” He breaks off with a choked sob.

“David, please, can I hold you?” Patrick is desperate to comfort David, and to do that, he needs to touch him.

David hesitates only briefly before nodding and accepting Patrick’s embrace. 

“David, sweetheart, I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry I wasn’t there for you when you were scared. I’m sorry I made you feel worse instead of comforting you. You didn’t do anything wrong.”

David has buried his face in Patrick’s neck and is quiet except for the occasional sniffle. Patrick rubs soothing circles on his back and continues talking. 

“My immediate reaction to the situation would have been to force that man from our store, physically if necessary. I’m a take-charge guy, David. I like to take action. But that doesn’t mean that would have been the right decision. That doesn’t mean that you and Stevie made the wrong choice. You just made a different choice. You still got him out of the store, and neither of you were hurt. And _ that _ is what matters. Nothing else matters, David.”

Patrick leans back slightly to see David’s face. He gently wipes away the tears from David’s face and leans in to press kisses to his temples, his eyelids, his forehead, the tip of his nose, and finally a soft kiss on his lips. 

“David, I love you. So much. You didn’t mess up. I’m not angry or disappointed. The store is fine. We’ll be able to file a report with the police now and show them the footage from the cameras. Everything is okay, love.”

David nods once, but then furrows his brow and frowns. “No.”

“No?” 

David pulls away from Patrick’s embrace. “That’s right. No. Everything is NOT okay, Patrick.”

Patrick feels like he has been dropped into a scene having missed his cue. His brain is whirring trying to keep up with the sudden change in direction this conversation took. 

David crosses his arms over his chest again. “You can’t just kiss it all better, Patrick! You can’t just tell me you love me, and suddenly I forget everything. I’ve let too many people completely disregard my feelings and distract me with sex or gifts.”

“David, that’s not what…”

David cuts Patrick off mid-sentence. “Let me speak! You aren’t _listening_ to me.”

Patrick’s eyes widen. He wants to reach out for David but knows he needs space right now. 

“I really thought that guy was going to hurt me or Stevie. I was very startled!” David says. “But talking to that police officer, I felt so stupid. After it was all over, it seemed so obvious that he didn’t actually have a weapon. It is _ so _ important to me that the store does well because it’s the only thing I’ve ever actually felt proud of. But I failed the store. And I failed you.”

Patrick’s heart aches every time he hears David describe himself as a failure. He clasps his hands in his lap to stop himself from reaching for David. He can tell David still needs to speak.

“It feels like that robber took something from me. Something more than the wine and tapenade, I mean. Rose Apothecary is supposed to be a safe space, where I’m not just a stupid fuck-up, who can’t do anything on his own.”

“David, you aren’t a fuck-up or a failure,” Patrick says, but David doesn’t appear to be listening. 

“And you!” David pokes Patrick in the chest harshly. “You looked at me like I was so foolish. And walking around the store sighing all day. I _ know _ I let you down, but it’s really not necessary to huff and puff all over the place like a fucking asthmatic locomotive!”

“You’re right. David, please look at me.” David takes several deep breaths and finally looks at Patrick. 

“You’re right. I let my anger get the best of me, and I should have never made you feel like you were foolish or a failure. Because you aren’t. I should have talked to you instead of holding on to my own frustration. I overreacted.”

David nods once, then again several times in rapid succession. He scoots closer to Patrick and takes his hand. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you immediately that we didn’t actually see a gun. And I’m sorry I upsold the robber and gave him the good brie instead of the gross, smelly cheese at the back of the fridge.”

Patrick lets out a surprised laugh and pulls David closer pressing a quick kiss to his neck. “I think I can forgive you for the brie if you can forgive me for being an insensitive jerk.”

David pretends to think about it for a moment before grinning at Patrick, his lips twisting to the side and his dimple popping. “I think I could probably forgive you after an olive branch or two.”

Patrick rolls his eyes and shuts David up in his favorite way—kissing him until he’s incapable of forming complete sentences. 

David abruptly pulls back. “Patrick, it’s past 9:00! We have to open the store!”

Patrick cups David’s head gently and guides him back to kiss him again. “Forget the store,” he murmurs against David’s lips. 

One of David’s hands moves up Patrick’s chest to rest over his heart, while the other rests on his thigh. “But what about maintaining consistent hours to increase customer loyalty?” 

“Fuck the customers, David. I don’t care about them.” 

David’s eyebrows shoot up and he smiles against Patrick’s lips before quickly losing himself in the kiss. 

\--

Patrick feels David’s thumb rubbing slow circles on the inside of his thigh, and he can’t help the low groan in the back of his throat. He guides David to lie back on Stevie’s bed and moves to hover over him. He pulls away from the kiss and rests his forehead against David’s to look into his eyes. Patrick gently cups David’s cheek to keep him from turning away. David still sometimes feels the need to shy away from such sincere moments.

He feels David tugging his shirt out from his jeans and sliding his hands up to rest on his back. David tries to capture Patrick’s mouth, but Patrick leans back slightly. David whines in the back of his throat and Patrick drops a kiss to his cheek. 

“David, you are everything to me. You are so smart, so beautiful, so good for me, love you so much.”

David lets out another whine and digs his nails into Patrick’s back trying to pull him closer. 

“Patrick, please,” his voice barely above a whisper. 

Patrick swipes a thumb gently across David’s lower lip before capturing him in a deceptively sweet kiss, his right hand moving swiftly down the back of David’s pants.

He grabs a handful of David’s ass and squeezes while nipping at his jawline. Patrick lowers himself slightly so David can feel his cock beginning to harden in his jeans. David shudders and lets out a soft moan. 

“So good for me, sweetheart. See how good you make me feel?”

David whines and tries to pull Patrick closer. 

Text alerts chime simultaneously from their phones and David groans. Patrick retrieves his phone first and sees a message in their group chat with Stevie.

[9:23 a.m.] **Stevie: **get ur pants on and go open ur store! no sex in my bed allowed. that was a one time deal!

**Author's Note:**

> come visit me on tumblr @landofsonlali <3


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